Door-closing device for box cars



' .9 1927. l v Aug LE ROY F. JOHNSON DOOR CLOSING DEVICE FOR BOX. CARS [NVE/TOR may E Jo/msq/v. 5r m5 firm/M526.

nooiifetosiive'jniivionlron Box clins;` 7

Application 4fiieiiembei 29, 192e. serial No. 144,973.

f ''lhis z invention relatestoa door vclosing .device for. railway cars such ,asi- .the "box vcars "now commonly used :for shipping grain. V,A diliic'ul-t-y is often experienced in gettingthe car doors intoclosed:position. It has-thus becomea coi'nmonpractice for the V.railway operatives totake` a crowbar, or wrecking bar an'd. pry the door shut by engaging vits rear side. This practiceiresiilts intlieside orp a car becoming greatly damaged bythe :continual thereinto. o'-i the wrecking bar; or crowbar. i'I-he repairbill i-forfsuch damaged cars is a large and` regularitem;

' at one end and having a member swingably.

i gab v `to closed position. f'

{It is'theobj'ectof this inventiom there-v `operated and eiiicient deviceior closing the cardoorsv without damaging the car. y

It is the further object of the invention to provide a door closing device comprising a bar adaptedto engage the car structure connected thereto adjacent said'endfor en- Oing'the car door and moving the same These and other objects and advantages of the invention will bel fullyset forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying;V drawings in which Vlike reference characters' refer `-to the'same vparts,throughout the different views-and in which,

Fig. 1, is a view in horizontal cross section of a portion of a box car showing the 'device in side elevation as used therewith,

' carrying cars, whichdoor Vis of'a temporary diiferent positions of, the device being shown in dotted lines. l l f Fig. 2 is aview in side elevation of the device, vl v Fig. 3 is a partial edgeview of the device, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section takenwon line 4-4 of Fig` 2, as indicated bythe arrows.

f Referring to the drawings, a portion of a y car structure is shown'including the door post 10 from one sideV of which extendv theV side portions 1150i the car, said portionsbeing shown as rabbetted into post 10. Avdoor plate 12 is shown as secured to the outer side of post 10 and keepers'l will be `vertically spaced along the side 11 whichv keepers are adapted to extend 'over the edge of the door 14 when in Closed position.' An inner door 15 is commonly used, particularly on. grain natureand madev from wooden boards.

I In accordance with the present invention ai@ tai? ie gi; piovileitaiideine this? .bei may be; variously-.shaped inv .the yenfibc )ldiion'ent of the invention illustrated; the same Vis shown; as Octzagonalfv fn; Qross section., Said bar 16 is pointed'. at .one end. 16?M Vand ashort distance from Said lendllrs. connected there t0 e Svfmgableilmkil The linkilprefer-,

ably has a hook portion 17a at its freeend.- j Said link is shown as havingasljotted'or loopedxportion. 1fd,v.adjacent 1 itsyotli'er .end .Y iellbracing. the xbm 16.' The ,member f1.7 is.v` f

movable;longitudinally of bar 16'- {aigidlimited in movement thereonby .a Vbail'for:keeper .16 d.l .While-gthejkeepen 16b;,j'may be Vvarusly fore, toprovideasiiiiple, inexpensive, easily ffo'rnied-`anchConnected;togbar16y in tlieffeinbodiment of4 the invention illustrated it is y d shown as havingV its end portions 16.c extend ing'around bar 16 and welded togetherF The outer end of vthe bar 16V is formed with a substantially sem`iciroularhook 16d, the terminal end 16ev ofwhich is flattened to `form a chisel edge.

In operation when the door la is'to be closed, the .device will be positioned as shown .in full, lines in F ig.` 1.

willv be engaged in the inner door 15and the hook end 1'7"*k of member 17 will be' engaged in the door keeper 14ga. vThe outer end ofbar 16Ywill now be swung to the left as shown'inY Fig. 1 and .door f 14 will be drawn toward closed position;V ,The Ibar 16 may be repeatedly engaged in the Vdoor 15l in moving door 14 and'when'doo'r 1l is al-l Vmost closed the end of bar 16. will be engaged at the outer edge of door plate 12 asv shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and the saine swung to the left'into'the position shown' at the eXtreme left of Fig. 1. VThe doorfis thus brought toa closedv position without in any way mutilating or Vmarringthe'sides of the car. Itis immaterial the point-fof' bar 16 is jabbed into the inner or grain doorl 15, as this dooris 'usually destroyed when the oar is unloaded.` The hook 16d on'the over one arm yof the operator when `the device is carried.V The keeper 161 is provided and link 17 permitted tomove alongbar 16 to Yaccommodate differenttypesof cars.

In Vsome cars the inner door 15 is'farther l in the rear oi" the. outer door 14. The edge and wrecking purposes.

From the above descriptionit is seen that j applicant has'provided avery simplefand -16e of the bar can be used fornail. pulling l 10o i device forms a convenient handle for'cairy- Ving-the same and this hookcan be engaged.

efficient door closing device.

The same can lbe easily and inexpensively produced and at the Sametime made very durable. The device has-been amply demonstrated in actual practiceV and found to beV vverysuccessful and efiicient, and thedevice isrnow being Vused in considerable numbers by at least one railway company. .i

It will, of course, befunderstoodthat various changes may be made inthe-form, de-

tails, arrangement andproportions of the device without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which generally stated consists of a device capable of carrying out "the'objects above set'forth5 such as shown land described and defined in the appended v claims. v .f l

whaer daim is; i

l.. A-device for closing jcar doors, com-rk jprising a comparatively long narrow bar formed with a point at oneend so as to be 'stuck into the side of the box car'or to env "s gfagei a ledge at the side ofsaidfcar, la loop formed'on,said'bar adjacentone end, a link prising a bar having a pointed end adapted to .engage the car struct-ure, a hook link permanently `and swingably' connected to said bar adjacentv saidA end movable .longitudinally of Asaidbar and adapted to hook into the door structure whereby Said bar may be. swung as a lever and said link willpull saidV door toward closed. position.

3. A device for closing car doors compris-- ying a bar (pointed. at one end and having a loop thereon adj aoent said enol7 a link having n ay slot adjacent-one ,end embracing said bar disposed within andretained thereonfbysaid y I loop, said link having;y a hook at one end and said bar havingl a handle at its l'other end by whichit may becarried. f l y In testimony whereof. I aiiiX iny si gnature.

Y* ROY FRANK JOHNSON.

2.*A device for closing car doors com-v 

